This Nameless Feeling
by prince-of-venus
Summary: Three years after Red wins the championship title, Blue's confusion over his feelings for Red drives him to Mt. Silver to visit him. NamelessShipping, chapter story! Keep watching for updates!
1. Chapter 1 - Beginnings

A curious boy from Pallet Town.

That's who Red was.

Just a curious boy from Pallet Town, ready to set off into the world with a feisty Charmander at his side. Ready to escape the boring town he called home and become a legendary champion. Ready to take the first small step into the tall grass - the step that began everything.

The boy whose decisions were often impassive and logical, but whose heart burned with ferocity matched by no other. The boy who loved and cared for his Pokémon dearly, doing all in his power to train them correctly. The boy who beat me at every battle - all the way until the end - because of his skill and his love. The _Legendary Champion_.

That's who Red was.

Now, he's just a lonely boy. A lonely boy atop a tall, cold mountain.

* * *

Three years ago - that's when this began. We were both eleven. We weren't always rivals; it wasn't until we first saw each other in Professor Oak's lab that our fight for greatness began. Oak, my grandfather, had three Pokémon to give away and had invited me to come and choose one. Little did I know that _he _would be there - Red, my childhood friend, a scrawny little black-haired kid who I hadn't spoken nicely towards since we were both pretty young. He chose the Charmander - obviously the strongest; Red was always one for logic - and I chose the Squirtle, a little unhappy with my choice but determined to do anything to win the upper hand against Red. From the moment I saw him in the lab, poring over which Pokémon he would snatch up, I knew we would be rivals. Against each other until the end. Our brief friendship was a distant memory, replaced by a passion to beat the shit out of him in every battle.

_"Wait__, Red__! Let's check out our Pokémon! Come on, I'll take you on!"_

_"Uh, sure. I bet I'll beat you, though!" _

_Red grinned broadly, and his ruby red eyes seemed to flicker, like flame._

_I smiled back, though more menacingly (I hoped) and pressed the button on my new __Poké__ball- a bright flash of white temporarily blinded me, but when it faded a Squirtle stood in front of me, ready and raring. I was so excited._

But Red stuck true to his words - I lost my very first Pokémon battle. With both Pokémon pretty weak I chalked it up to luck that Red had beaten me. He was so _pleased_, though, the damn smartass. I was determined then to get stronger - losing to a little kid like Red burnt like acid on my tongue. I remember every second of my first Pokémon battle, but the thrill of fighting didn't quite put out the fire that losing caused. Afterwards, I set out ahead of him.

We shared more battles as the year went on, but Red was somehow always a step ahead of me. Every battle I would be the one that appeared the strongest, with more training under my belt and more experienced Pokémon at my side. But every time the little fucker _beat_ me. Hard. For a long time, I was resentful and jealous.

But then our dynamic began to change. Or, at least mine did. No longer was I eagerly awaiting the next chance I could have to crush him. Instead, I began to be excited just to see him. Happy to challenge him, not nearly as bitter when I lost (which was always). I began to notice things about Red that made him so cool - almost subconsciously.

Red had this certain grace about him. Whenever he moved, it was sometimes like smooth, calm waves, but other times it was like tails of bright fire. He flowed.

Red also always seemed to know what the right answer was to something. He would ponder a decision for less than a few seconds, and he would have it - the right path to take. This in particular was what probably gave him an advantage over me in battle.

Although Red was always striving to be logical and mathematic about things, he was at heart an optimist. He would always look on the bright side of things - it was just in his nature. I always thought it fit well with my rather care-free view on life.

I'm not sure when the change began, or how, or why. But it was almost as if my very purpose in life had shifted. Instead of wanting to beat Red, I just wanted to be around him. I was confused about this for a long time. Who, in the history of forever, was_ happy_ to see their rival? Sure, friendly competition was welcomed for most people, but I wouldn't say that anyone was exactly _glad _to see the person that beat them at their own game every single fucking time.

So why was I?

I hated to think of the answer. No matter how _great_ Red was, no matter how much I wanted to see him, no matter how many times I lost to him but still had a fucking smile on my face because Red was so damn _happy,_ he was still my rival.

Or was he my friend? I think he was my very best friend - the one that always stuck with me, even after every bitter battle. Could that have even happened? Did I let my guard down enough for that tiny bastard to worm his way into friendship position?

Maybe. Or maybe it was more than that.

Damn, this is when my head starts to hurt. It's been three years since I've seen Red and I'm _still _confused to hell about what we were.

And I say were. Because then I became champion.

All of the glorious visions in my head, ones I've had since childhood, of standing tall and proud above all other trainers had finally become true. I was the best. The best of the best. Number one himself! And when Red came along, I smiled with the joy that the title of _champion_ brought me, and challenged him to a battle I knew in my heart I would win with ease.

But after every Pokémon had been sent out, after I had exhausted every move and tactic that I possessed, after I finally let go of the tiny shard of hope that I had been holding onto that _maybe_ he would slip up, that _maybe_ I could still beat him, the battle was over.

I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart by the boy who was my best friend. Nothing in my entire life had been more painful than to watch Red take my place.

How long had I been champion - a few days? I must have held the title for the shortest time ever on record. I was humiliated. I bled from the stab wound in my heart like a river. My purpose as a Pokémon trainer was draining away. And so was my friendship with Red. I never exactly let him know the extent I was hurt by my loss - what difference would it make? It would have only made me look more pathetic than I already felt.

Afterwards, I took my place at Viridian City's gym, a low position compared to my last. He moved up to Mt. Silver soon after winning, and he stayed up there alone, training for Arceus knows why. He came to visit his friends every once and a while over the next few years, but he and I never really spoke. I saw him maybe once or twice when he came to Viridian, but he mostly stayed out of my way. I knew he could tell I was still mad.

There's not any cell service on Mt. Silver. I've often wondered if that's really a blessing in disguise - I'm not sure how much I trust myself to talk to Red these days. All the shit that's been bottled up inside of me - shame and bitterness over being usurped, painful pangs of longing for the very person that usurped me - it's been a bit too much. My naturally confident and abrasive nature had begun to fade over the last two years. As Red and I slipped away, I grew from a loud and cocky thirteen year old to a reserved and sullen fifteen year old; an unwelcome change in every aspect.

Every day I think of Red. I know that sound trite and bullshitty, but it's true. Honestly, he never leaves my mind. During gym battles in Viridian I often let my mind wander back to _our_ battles - how Red had a quality that no other trainer I've ever battled has possessed. How he fought with a ferocity that burned bright, how there was a fiery grace in every one of his moves. How his Pokémon _adored_ him. They seemed to almost be extensions of him; they worked so naturally with him, heeding his every command.

I wonder a lot if he misses me. Again, trite and bullshitty. But true nonetheless.

Honestly, the reason for my increasingly reserved nature is much less losing championship status than having _Red_ ripped out of my life as well. It's like the stab wound in my heart refused to heal, and I've been just bleeding dry for the last three years. I'm well aware that my feelings go beyond friendly rivalry. I'd hazard a guess that they go beyond friendship, even best friendship, as well.

And my head is hurting again because no matter how many times I try to deny it no logical explanation exists for caring so much about the person you'd sworn to take down.

Except for maybe one.

Maybe you're in love with them.

Maybe I'm in love with Red.


	2. Chapter 2 - Reflection

Cinnabar Island used to be beautiful. The sandy red beaches, hot springs, and the imposing volcano looming over the town were the best parts. It was always a warm and sunny and happy place. Now, most of the once technological mecca lay in ruins, smothered with volcanic ash and rock. Not even the gym survived.

I walked along the edge of a steep cliff face that overlook dark blue sea, red dust scattering about my feet with every step I took. It was still beautiful, but it was also very sad.

I'm not sure why I came here. Maybe Viridian was just getting a bit dull, or maybe I just needed some fresh air. I was well aware that I was leaving my gym unguarded, and I only felt a little guilty about depriving new trainers of their Earth Badge.

Damn, that's so lame. I guess _that's_ the reason I'm here.

Going to Cinnabar put things in a bit of perspective – how my loss of the Championship title seems tiny, so insignificant, compared to the loss that nature can cause in an instant. Almost the whole of the island was gone. All that's left was the Pokémon center, spared from the eruption. Honestly, being here was a bit depressing – but it's not like I was exactly in a good mood in the first place. I haven't been in a good mood in a very, very long time.

After Red took the Championship title from me, I went back to Pallet Town for a while – and that was painful. I felt like a failure, like the adventure I had embarked on and the status I had achieved as trainer meant nothing anymore. Of course, I let no one know this at all, like _hell _I would let anyone think that Red had hurt me this much. It was pathetic.

The wind picked up, and as the sand swirled around me I could barely feel the tiny flecks of saltwater from the ocean below, caught in the breeze.

So for a while I lived at home, hiding behind a shell of bravado that I worked hard to manufacture every day. I wasn't exactly depressed, even though that's what it seemed like. I was more just overwhelmed with a few key things – self-loathing, which burned me like fire; and missing Red, which froze me like ice.

I learned soon after that Viridian City's gym leader Giovanni had disappeared – it was obvious why, as Team Rocket had been beaten and disbanded. I went looking at the gym, and I became its leader easily because of my brief – ever so brief – status as Champion, and I settled down for my life in Viridian a little bit more contentedly than I had in Pallet. There was still a bitter sense of longing for several things, but life was better.

But after months of being the gym leader, and months of boring battles that were no challenge at all, I was still perpetually unhappy. Even though I really didn't want to, it was easier than all of these Pokémon battles to pinpoint why. I wasn't with Red. I had lost the drive to be better, to improve – but I had also lost a person that was very important to me.

Of course, we didn't travel together at all, but those rare moments a few years ago when I had gotten to see him were at first painful and jealousy-driven, and then they were wonderful and fleeting. Now, even those were missing from my life. Red had come to visit a few times in the last year, seeing his family and friends in Pallet town, but he never came to see me in Viridian. Maybe he thought I was still mad – in all honesty, I missed him too much to be – or maybe I was just being selfish to think that he even cared at all. After all, he was _actually _my rival, no matter what bullshit gushy crap I felt for him.

Damn, I'm still confused. It's hard to sort out what your feelings are towards a person when you haven't seen them face-to-face in almost three years. It's still really a recent revelation to me that I might be in – in –

I can't even think it. I mean, what is wrong with me? My feelings toward Red – my _potential_ feelings – are just more proof that I'm a total fuck-up and I always have been.

I kicked the red sand beneath my feet vehemently, unable to keep myself from being pulled back into the roiling storm of torment and self-loathing that I came to Cinnabar to escape in the first place. I felt less like my thirteen-year-old self than I had in a long time – being alone in Cinnabar maybe wasn't the best idea.

The rocky, worn trail that snaked through Cinnabar's sandy expanse was just in sight. I sighed., but then I stopped dead in my tracks. Just as I was wondering if I should head back to Viridian now or not, a brilliant idea - or a really stupid idea - sprang up in my mind.

I continued along the cliff face, noticing idly how the red sand stuck to my shoes, and how much it looked like cinnamon. The heat of the island was nice – I was definitely not a winter person. Which made my current thought all the more unpleasant.

Before I could change my mind, I dashed off of the cliff face, sneaking my way back through the trail that ran to the Pokémon center – the only building remaining in Cinnabar. Once I reached it, I pulled from my bag a Pokéball, and pressed the button in the center. A beam of bright white light briefly illuminated the sand, and my Pidgeot materialized in front of me. I smiled, and he cawed affectionately at me.

"Hey, Pidgeot. Ready to go home?"

He cawed again, and fluttered his large wings a bit. His large feathery mane of gold and crimson fanned in the wind. I stroked his brown feathers. I knew I would only be returning home briefly.

* * *

I dashed out of the Viridian City Gym, a backpack with more than a few days worth of supplies on my back, and my steel-hard resolve slowly beginning to melt away as I faced the first stage of my half-formed plan. My Pidgeot had patiently waited for me, and I rubbed his beak.

"Pidgeot, I need you to stay here and watch over the gym for me."

Pidgeot cawed indignantly.

"Come on - this is important." I looked at the large bird imploringly. He clucked his beak finally, and rubbed his feathery head against mine. He strutted inside the gym, and, regretting my decision already, I waved goodbye and set out down the road.

I glanced briefly at the Pokégear on my arm - it was five-oh-four in the afternoon. The perfect time for an adventure.

I was headed towards Mt. Silver.


	3. Chapter 3 - A Journey

Soft, blindingly white snow shifted softly under my feet as I made my way swiftly over the almost-hidden mountain path. The small snowflakes glittered in the orange setting sun.

My footsteps in the snow were muffled, almost inaudible, and the wind was still. Not a single Pokémon was on the stretch of trail that I traveled. The silence in the deepening dusk was almost as chilling as the air seeping into my coat. I stopped for a moment, watching the sun begin to sink lower in the sky - the night was almost here. I rubbed my gloved hands together, and reached up to shake the melting snow out of my sandy hair.

On a whim, I pulled out a Pokéball from my bag and tossed it into the air - a bright flash of light sparkled across the snow and my Arcanine landed gracefully on the trail. He barked, annoyed with the cold, which was the very reason I had let him stay in his Pokéball most of the day. I went over to him, huddling close to his flickering fur, enjoying the warmth but being careful to not get burnt.

"Hey, Arcanine."

Another bark, more docile and content this time.

"Let's go find a cave."

I traipsed up the trail a fair bit more, Arcanine padding his fiery paws ever so silently at my side, scanning the dark gray mountainside for a suitable cave to be sheltered in. As I walked, I let my mind drift to Red. Red - the the very boy that I had traveled up this damned mountain for in the first place. I must be insane. Mt. Silver, a frozen wasteland, and the highest mountain in the Kanto region, and I had perilously shrugged my way through biting cold and dizzying hights for _Red?_

I sighed audibly, confused as ever with myself. Arcanine looked around, and then continued to shuffle forward, melting the snow in front of him so that I had an easier path to walk.

Everything I did was just so damned illogical. First, I lose the biggest battle of my life to my rival - and then, after moping for half a year, _I forgive him like it's nothing._ After he walks out of my life - no, he gets a life of his own - I make my way up a bitterly cold mountain because I _fucking miss him_.

_The Definition Of Love_, I find myself thinking before I can avoid it. I mentally slap my own face, and then concentrate again on finding a cave for shelter - the sun was beginning to slip past the horizon.

Up ahead, as the mountain cliff to my side seems to begin a slow, sloping descent, the mouth of a large cave looms over me. The silence was only broken by a small gust of wind, sending a flurry of snowflakes into the dark entrance. Just visible from the mouth were long, shimmering icicles, forming a jagged line around the cave opening like a curtain.

Arcanine and I looked at each other. I nodded, and he bared his teeth in a canine, almost human-like smile. He went forward ahead of me toward the cave, his glimmering flames illuminating the entrance. As I walked in behind him, I couldn't help but notice - with slight apprehension - how some of the thickest icicles had been snapped in half, and how the broken tips of them lay shattered on the rocky ground at the front of the cave.

I stepped farther into the cave, pulled into its dark depths by a sense of both curiosity and dread in equal parts. Arcanine's fire glistened off the icicles that joined the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. I kept close to him, trying to keep warm.

The snow that had covered the outside in a thick blanket began to recede as the cave's entrance grew fainter. The cave was giant - much bigger than I had anticipated. I knew I should probably stay close to the entrance, both to avoid getting lost and to avoid wandering into a Pokémon's den, but something kept me moving farther into the dark cavern against all sense of precaution.

As if on cue with my thoughts, I heard several Zubats shuffle and skitter up in the high ceiling, and I looked up to see several fangs shine faintly back at me. I shuddered, and continued on my way, hoping for dear life that I could steer clear of any Golbats.

As I walked farther into the dim, I swear I saw a shadow dart away from the light cast by Arcanine's fire out of the corner of my eye. I spun around, dirt flying into the air, but there was nothing behind me. Breathing heavily, I glanced at the cave entrance, now far away. The amber glow of the setting sun was just visible behind several icicles.

I turned back to the cave path that I had been following, and continued on it, hugging close to Arcanine. He didn't seem bothered by anything.

Psh, I wasn't scared. I don't get scared.

The cave path slowly sloped downward, and the ceiling sloped upward, and before I knew it I was standing in a huge cavern. Icicles and stalactites covered the ceiling, and stubby stalagmites littered the floor, making walking a straight path rather difficult. Arcanine growled, impatient at having to make his away around them. I pet his glowing fur, trying to keep him happy.

Then, I heard a noise.

It was faint, just a small whispering sound carried on the not-so-still air of the cavern, but in my uneasy state I heard it loud and clear.

It was a voice.

I caught my breath, eyes staring around in the cave, both into the patches illuminated by Arcanine and the large gaps of pitch-black. I stiffened palpably, every muscle in my body tense and rigid so that I wouldn't make a single sound. Arcanine seemed to notice my - all right - fear, and he tensed too, a low growl issuing from between his sharp teeth.

"_Shh!" _ I warned, afraid that whatever had spoken could hear him.

The voice came again. It was quiet, but this time I could make out what it was saying.

"Go make sure."

_Go make sure? _I was clueless.

Then, I heard soft paws behind me, and I swiveled around, only to be greeted by a small brown Raticate, its tiny black eyes glowing in my Arcanine's firelight. It looked at me for a moment, clearly as confused as I was. What was a Raticate doing in a cave on Mt. Silver?

But then, it bared its teeth and hissed - before I could prepare for battle, however, it scampered back the way it came.

And then it hit me.

A voice? An odd Pokémon? Clearly I was not the only trainer in this cave. I sighed, slightly relieved, but then became nervous again - just because this mysterious person was a trainer didn't mean I wasn't in danger.

After a moment's thought, I followed the Raticate through a tunnel in the cave wall, leading a bit away from where I had come in. It was just tall enough for me to stand in, but Arcanine was annoyed by the small space. His flames licked the ceiling, leaving a burnt streak on the rock in his wake.

Eventually, the tunnel opened up into another cavern, bigger than the last. I noticed other footprints in the dirt around us - large, dragonish footprints, which looked rather new. My breathing grew uneven, and I stayed tense as I followed behind the small Pokémon.

The Raticate led us to the end of the cavern, a steep cliff face with rocks littering the ground, as if they had broken off from the top of the cliff. Looming in the darkness was a fierce-looking Charizard, the flame on it's tail glowing bright. It growled at me, and bared its sharp teeth. I gasped.

I knew that Charizard.

I looked around quickly, knowing who I would find nearby. And then, staggering into the collective firelight, came a boy with dark hair and ruby-red eyes. Surprise flashed over his features, and his eyes seemed to glint like flame.

I stared into them, an impossible mix of feelings suddenly filling me, and only one word came to my mind. One word I hadn't spoken in three years.

"Red."


	4. Chapter 4 - Help

A shock that felt like electricity ran through me, paralyzing me and forcing my mind into overdrive.

_Red. _His dark hair glinted in the collective firelight. The features of his face - so different from the twelve-year-old version of him that had been burned into my mind - were twisted in pain and surprise. His clothes were baggy, and he seemed to be unable to stand up straight - I looked at his legs and saw that his right calf and ankle had been clumsily bandaged with fabric that looked as if it came from the sleeve of Red's jacket. Worry pierced me like ice and for a moment I forgot all about why I was here, even where I was - I wanted to make sure Red was okay.

"Red, what happened?" My voice was quiet and constricted - I forced myself to speak up. "What happened to your leg?"

"Blue?" Red whispered, narrowing his eyes.

"That looks pretty bad, you shouldn't be standing."

"Why are you on Mount Silver?"

"_Red!"_

He looked surprised. I coughed. "You need to sit down. You shouldn't stand on that."

Red looked at me again, suspicious, but did as I said, slumping against the cliff wall and grimacing in pain. I tried to approach him, but the Charizard growled menacingly, flicking its fiery tail. I halted.

"It's all right, Charizard," Red whispered. The Charizard cast one final wary glance in my direction, and stepped away, allowing me forward. I hurried to Red and sat in front of him, my Arcanine following loyally behind me. Red looked at me, his dark eyebrows furrowed together.

"Blue, why are you here? Did you come here looking for me?"

I just stared. _Three years. _I hadn't seen this boy in _three years._ His face had grown more angular, like a teenager's, leaving behind the baby features of preteen-hood. Something that hadn't changed, though, were his gemstone eyes, ruby and crystalline and brightly glowing like fire even in the dimness of the cave. His lips were parted in question, and his breath made a small white cloud in the air that mingled with mine.

"_Blue!"_

"Ah..." I snapped out of my reverie. "I... Uh, I'm.."

"Well?"

I hadn't thought this through at all. Stupid, _stupid _me! What the hell did I think I was going to do when I finally got to the top this damned mountain? Confess my "undying love" for Red? Grovel at his feet, beg him to come back to Kanto? I had no clue at all what to say that even remotely began to explain my reasoning for being here.

So, naturally, my asshole instincts kicked in.

"Hah," I breathed, forcing a cocky smile onto my face. "You think I'm here for you? I'm only up here because it's the best place to train Pokemon. I saw your loose Raticate and just got curious."

Red gave me a long look, clearly not convinced by my story. But he too seemed to be unsure of any other logical reason that I would be up here, so he sighed. "Okay, fine."

I honed in again on his bandaged leg, too worried for any more distractions. "Red, what happened?"

"Oh, this?" He said, pointing at his bandaged leg, obviously trying hard to blow it off. I nodded mutely. "I, uh... Well. I kinda just..." He pointed to the cliff ledge, about ten or fifteen feet above us. "I kinda just slipped." He grinned sheepishly.

I wanted to punch him in the face. "You _slipped?_" I growled. "You could have been stranded out here, you know! You think you can just afford to be reckless and just _slip?_"

He seemed taken aback. "Uh, thanks for the concern, Blue, but why do you care?"

I caught my breath, but then I sighed. "Honestly, Red! I'm not completely heartless! You may have been my rival but I would never want you dead."

Red laughed, and my heart stopped. _That laugh._ Something else I had been missing for three years. "And here I was, thinking you were always out to get me," Red chuckled, and clapped me on the back weakly. Just then, I noticed how pale he looked.

"Well," Red grimaced, "We'd better get going, right?" He leaned on the cave wall, and awkwardly pushed himself to a standing position. Gingerly testing his leg, he attempted to stagger towards the cave tunnel.

"Damn, Red," I stood up too, and hurried to him again - much like a nurse Chansey, I noted, to my internal embarrassment. "When did you get hurt?"

Red was breathing heavily, standing in one place, unable to take more than a few steps. "Two - days - ago," he panted. "I think. I haven't - left - the cave - much,"

I was just about to ask why when he collapsed onto the dirt.

"Red!"

I scrambled over to him. He looked up into my face, no doubt contorted in concern, and laughed weakly. "I'm fine, calm - down." He was still panting.

"You just collapsed under your own weight. I have a right to be concerned." He stopped laughing, and looked up at me. My hands were almost around his shoulders, as if I were about to pick him up. I quickly stuffed them into my pockets.

"Yeah, I guess I did hurt it pretty badly," He conceded.

"Don't move," I warned. I stood up, and looked around the cave. Red obediently stayed sitting, his breath returning to normal. "You've been in here for two days?" I questioned, beginning to pace around the perimeter of the cave. My Arcanine followed. "What did you even eat?"

Red grinned again, but it was marred with pain. "Ah, well, not much really."

I stopped. "You haven't eaten for _two days?_" My blood ran cold. "You were stuck in here _alone, _with nothing to eat for _two days?"_

"I had plenty of water!" He pointed to a far-off corner of the cave, unlit by our collective firelight. "There's an underground stream over there!"

I was hardly listening. "Red! You could have _died!_ Did that ever cross your mind once when you moved up here _alone - _that you could get lost or get injured or run out of food or - or - " I was practically shouting now. I stopped again, and looked at the shocked expression on Red's face.

"Well... there's a Pokemon center down the road, you know..."

"That can't help you if you're stuck inside a cave!"

Red gave me a long look.

"Blue, I moved up here to train my Pokemon. To be the best trainer possible. I knew there would be risks. I figured..." He sighed. "I figured I could handle it."

I looked away from him, suddenly unable to keep the images from pervading my mind - Red, cold and lifeless, hidden away in a far-off cave, lost forever. I felt tears prickling behind my eyes, and I wanted to smash something.

Instead, I strode over to Red, who looked confused, and picked him up bridal-style.

"Hey, cut it out!" Red shouted, trying weakly to escape."I can walk just fine on my -"

"You and I both know that's a lie, so shut up."

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the cave. I turned, and I saw Red's Charizard towering over me, long fangs bared and flaming tail flickering. I backed away, into the cave wall. I didn't let go of Red.

"Call your Charizard off, Red! You can't walk and you're starving." I looked into his ruby eyes, astonishingly close. "Let me help you."

Red stopped struggling, clearly exhausted. He sighed. "Damn it, Blue. This is ridiculous."

"If you try to walk at all you'll faint." I tried my hardest not to shout.

After a long pause in which Red avoided my eyes, he leaned his head back in defeat. "Fine." He maneuvered his arm into his left pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. Pressing the button in the center, he called Charizard back. Without another word, I headed through the cave tunnel, past the stalagmite-covered cavern, and towards the cave entrance. Red was startlingly light in my arms.

We reached the opening, and a gust of wind shot snow into my face in a large flurry. It was pitch-black, and freezing - I defensively huddled Red to my chest, earning a grunt and a discontented sigh.

"Which way is your house?" I asked, trudging through the suddenly furious wind. Red, who had crossed his arms in his huddled position against my chest, pulled one arm out and pointed up the snowy path. "It's a cave. You'll know it when you see it." His voice was weak, so I didn't say anything back. My Arcanine followed us as I took his directional advice.

As I walked, I could hear his steady, shallow breaths. I felt stupid for doing this, but at the same time my mind threatened to spin out of control with worry for Red. Damn it, Blue.

It was hard for me to believe that_ yesterday_ I had been in Cinnabar Island, enjoying the warm sun and being torn apart inside. And it was hard to believe that _today_ I was trudging through snow in pitch darkness, carrying my injured former rival who I hadn't seen in three years.

But, despite my worry, despite my feeling of stupidity, and despite my hatred for the cold, I was happier than I had been in a very, very long time.

...

_**Hey! Author's Note!**_

**I feel bad about leaving it there XD But this weekend is the Doctor Who 50****th**** anniversary special and I still have 6 episodes to watch... Adios! I love you all for reading! Please take some time to write me a review, **_**constructive**_** criticism is welcome! ~3**


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